shaygan gostar reinvents architecture of rural iran with a 'wicker house'

shaygan gostar’s twist on rural iranian architecture

in a village outside the iranian city of noor, shaygan gostar architectural group completes its wicker house. the site is located within the northern mazandaran region, an area which has has seen a rapidly evolving architectural vernacular informed by shifting climate conditions and the growing district. the house is defined by its compact size and dramatically sloping wicker A-frame roof elevated atop low stilts. it was designed as a celebration of the local architecture and the heritage of the area.

the team notes: ‘this architecture regarding the structure was completely dependent on the nature — that is to say, for construction of a building, all the components of the architecture natively have been prepared from the nature of the local region‘

images by parham taghioff | @parhamtaghioff

the geometry of the wicker house

with its grassy wicker house, shaygan gostar architectural group (see more here) sought to create a space which conforms to the local architecture while introducing a contemporary expression. the structure is conceived as a composition of simple geometries. the main volume takes shape as a slivered triangular wedge, with a black box embedded into its side. this box opens up the interior and creates a large frame of the landscape. overall, the house creates a new view and experience of the natural context.

an a-frame wrapped in clay and straw

shaygan gostar architectural group originally intended to build its wicker house near a swath of agricultural land. however, after surveying the site, the team instead selected a plot overlooking a dam and the distant reflected landscape beyond.

the A-frame cabin is wrapped in thatch and clay and straw — a type of plant fiber which has long been used to cover the roofs of rural houses. the team comments: ‘for proper coordination with the background and maintaining the available space so that it can be in harmony with the rural houses left from the past. a long gable roof has been used at cabin form to be close to the rural housing typology.’

the house overlooks a dam that reflects the landscape beyond